The Minority in Parliament has tagged the mid-year review and supplementary budget statement as hopeless.
Ken Ofori-Atta in his presentation announced measures aimed stimulating the country’s economy amidst Covid-19.
The minister announced a reduction in CST from 9% to 5% and an insurance scheme for workers who have been laid off as a result of the pandemic. Government has also extended free water and electricity to all Ghanaians for another three months.
The President is also expected to, in the coming weeks, launch a GHc100 billion Covid-19 development program Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Attah, has announced.
The three and a half year programme is targeted at supporting businesses that may have suffered from the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr. Ofori-Atta ended with a request for approval of over 11.8 billion cedis as supplementary budget.
But in a reaction, the NDC MPs accused the minister of presenting NPP’s 2021 manifesto under the guise of mid-year budget review.
Bolgatanga Central MP Isaac Adongo said the entire presentation by the Finance Minister was very disappointing and a clever attempt by the government to steal huge sums of money from the state.
“When you put the finances in the hands of people who are clever thieves that is what you see today. I felt very sad sitting there and listening to the minister and with my professional eyes, seeing the attempts to plunder away and steal our national resources and finding a way to cover for it.”
“How on earth can you be coming for 11.8 billion and you don’t know what you are going to use it for. He is now going to sleep over it and think about the lie that he will come and tell the Finance committee but as at the time he was coming here today he only had expenditure of 5.3 billion but the minister is asking for 11. 8 billion cedis.”
Source: Ghana|Starrfm|103.5FM
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